From left to right: Sharon Wurm, Mary Wink, Sara Pearson, Paige Richard, Ron Renfro, Gretchen Sawyer, Shari Mathiesen, and Victor Mendez-Medina.
A generous $7,500 grant has been awarded by the Bank of America Charitable Foundation to a unique peer mentorship program, the Financial Literacy and Money Education by Students (FLAMES) team at Truckee Meadows Community College.
The FLAMES team was first developed at TMCC through a grant awarded by USA Funds, a national nonprofit corporation advancing preparation for and access to a college education.
“We are thrilled that Bank of America saw the potential of the FLAMES program, and their funding comes at a critical time to help us sustain the program for our students,” said Sharon Wurm, Director, Financial Aid and Student Success. “Their financial support, combined with additional tools such as Bank of America's Better Money Habits©, will allow us to expand the resources available for students so they may build their financial expertise and make confident decisions.”
There are six students currently on the FLAMES team, having been trained as peer mentors to offer advice about the complex issues, attitudes and choices involving personal finances. The FLAMES team are financing their education through student employment.
“Students and young adults can start on a path of financial stability and sustainable careers with the right resources, and TMCC’s FLAMES program can help do just that,” said Mary Wink, Reno Market President, Bank of America. “College students learning from their peers about financial literacy is a wonderful investment in our region’s future.”
In addition to regular programs offered by FLAMES peer mentors, new workshops will be possible.
"We’ll be offering two workshops about home buying as a result of the Bank of America grant," said Shari Mathiesen, Program Officer for Financial Aid, Scholarships and Student Employment. "The workshops will be open to all TMCC students. TMCC staff members are welcome to attend as well. A representative from Bank of America will be at the fall workshop, and Nevada Rural Housing Authority will be at the spring workshop detailing their program."
Nevada Rural Housing Authority is an agency that is governed by a five-member board and works towards affordable housing and rental units in rural areas of the state.
The grant will help support many of the FLAMES programs including one-to-one peer mentoring appointments where TMCC students can receive personal help with creating a budget, planning a financial goal and applying for the federal Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form.
“This generous grant will also help support the ‘Money & Waffles’ event that is held in August during the first week of school,” Mathiesen said. “Students go to the various tables learning about student loans, identity theft, credit cards and scholarships, exchanging printed FLAMES dollars for waffles.”
For more information about FLAMES, please call 775-673-7263, and for information about the TMCC Foundation, call 775-674-7648.